Means for maintaining the gage of railway-tracks



(No Model.)

B. A. JENKS.

MEANS FOR MAINTAINING THE GAGE 0F RAILWAY TRACKS Patented Oct. 8, 1889.

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EDWARD A. JENKS, or NEWPORT, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

MEANS FOR MAINTAINING THE GAGE OF RAILWAY-TRACKS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 412,260, dated October 8, 1889.

Application filed December 12, 1888. Serial No. 293,331. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, EDWARD A. J ENKS, citizen of the United. States, residing at Newport, in the county of Sullivan and State of New Hampshire, have invented certain new and useful Improved Means for Maintaining the Gage of Railway-Tracks,of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide simple and effective means for maintaining the true gage of railway-tracks and to prevent upon curves a tendency of the outside rail to overturn.

The invention will be fully set forth in the following specification and claims, and clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming an inseparable part thereof, of which Figure l is a cross-section of track to which my improved devices are applied. Fig. 2 is a plan view showing an ordinary wooden sleeper having my improved gage-maintaining devices and the broken portions of two parallel rails placed in the proper relative position thereon. Fig. 3 is a detached perspective view of one of my improved bed-irons having in its proper relative position (in dotted lines) one end of the tie-bar to be used in connection therewith. Fig. 4 is a similar View showing a modified form of bed-iron and one end of a tie-bar, part in full and part in dotted lines.

Similar reference-letters indicate corresponding parts.

It is an acknowledged fact that a common railroad-spike which holds a rail to its sleeper is not absolutely capable of preventing the rails from spreading or altering their gage, many severe accidents continually resulting from this cause alone. The continuous jar occasioned by a passing train first loosens the spikes in the sleepers, and if this happens upon a curve the outside rail is sure to yield to the lateral pressure of the flanges of the wheels and the derailment ot' the train is the unavoidable result.

By the liberal use of my improvements in connection with the ordinary spikes and wooden sleepers it would be impossible for one rail to change its position laterally without effecting a corresponding change in the other. Thus the gage of the track would remain unaltered, and one of the many causes of accident be practically avoided.

To carry my invention into practice I provide, in connection with a metallic tie-bar A, having its ends bent, as at a a, in a manner to grasp the outer portion of the base of a rail 13, suitable bed-irons or bed-plates 0, one of which is interposed between said tie-bar A and a sleeper D under each rail, the said plates being bent, as at c, in a manner to grasp the inner portion of the base of a. rail. The projections c of the bed-plates C are slotted for the reception of the tie-bar A, as shown best at c in Figs. 3 and i. In the latter view the slot 0' is made to extend to the end of the bent or grasping portion 0 of the plate 0, thus leaving its end disconnected; but by forming the slot 0 as seen in Fig. 3 greater strength is imparted to said bent portion 0 by reason otleaving the metal 0 undisturbed. Therefore I deem the construction shown in Fig. 3 preferable.

The improved bedplate C and tie-bar A may be depressed in the surface of the sleeper D, as shown in Fig. 1, to a depth sufficient to allow the rails 13 to rest upon said sleeper, and be secured thereon by the spikes E in the usual manner.

Having described my improvements, what I claim as new is 1. The combination, with the rails and sleepers, of metallic bed-plates resting under either rail, having a slotted projection grasp.- ing the inner portion of the base of a rail, and a metallic tie-bar interposed between the said bed-plates and rails and resting within the said slotted projection of the former and having its end adapted to grasp the outer portion of the base of both rails.

2. The combination, with the rails and sleepers, of metallic tie -bars having their ends adapted to grasp the outer portion of the base of said rails to prevent their spreading, and metallic bed-plates interposed between said tie-bars and sleepers, having bent projections at each side of said tie-bar for grasping the inner portion of the base of said rails, substantially in the manner and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I affix mysignature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD A. JENKS.

\Vitnesses.

' J. B. Tnonsron,

WY. F. THAYER. 

